The Choices We Make
by glittersweg
Summary: Everyone knows the story of Big Ben crash. But what about the story that goes deeper - What was the cause of that? How did the Great Mouse Detective and Napoleon of Crime come to be? This is the story that no one has heard. This is the story of how it all started. Originally posted as To Be or Not To Be!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I'm Glittersweg as most of you probably read. I love the Great Mouse Detective, and decided to try my hand in writing a fanfiction. I've always been interested in the origins of Basil and Ratigan. I'll do my best to stay true to the characters as I write what made them become what they are in the movie. Now, this is my first story so no flames please! Read &amp; Review!**

**I don't own anything!**

* * *

"I swear, Basil, you are going to get us caught one day!"

Basil's eyes twinkled as he and his friend crouched behind a flower cart.

"Maybe, my friend, but that day is not today!" The tan-furred youth laughed, gleeful.

James rolled his eyes, not too pleased with his companion. Basil was smart but didn't seem to care about consequences, seeing as how he always dragged James along whenever an idea struck him to create mischief.

"Ms. Mary won't like us doing this," James warned, eyes darting nervously around the crowded street. The orphanage owner didn't like the two enough as it was, and would be furious if she knew what they were up to!

Basil raised an eyebrow. "Ms. Mary doesn't like anything unless it has something to with dresses or fancy tea!"

The dark gray rodent rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable. "True . . . but it doesn't help when we do things like this." he shifted awkwardly behind the cart. James was too tall to be completely hidden, but Basil was a lot smaller and easily covered. "Why do we have to pull this prank, anyway?"

James' frown deepened as Basil pulled a sling shot out of his tattered pants pocket. "I thought you didn't like that merchant? He accused you of stealing and almost called the police! And you were just looking!" Basil growled, inspecting the stones on the ground.

James grudgingly handed Basil a round stone. "I don't need reminding!" James snapped, "But this might get us in more trouble!"

Basil loaded the sling shot and peeked over the flower cart. His dark brown almost black eyes fell on the merchant's wagon, stocked with expensive vases and other antiques that only aristocrats could afford. The merchant himself was lazily leaning against the wagon, his fat belly poking out of his tacky shirt. Basil scowled at the arrogant smile that smeared the mouse's face.

Turning to his uneasy friend, Basil said, "Who cares as long as that guy gets what he deserves! He treated you unfairly just because you're a rat!"

Basil felt slightly guilty when James winced. It was an unfortunate truth. Rats weren't the most popular among the community and the reputations most of them had certainly didn't help.

"Sorry." The lame apology felt sour on Basil's tongue.

He just shrugged, not wanting to continue the discussion. Basil sighed, "Come on, James! He deserves it." James just shrugged again. Switching his attention to the matter at hand, Basil fixed his eye on the merchant's wagon once more.

He pulled back his slingshot and aimed.

CRASH!

A porcelain vase shattered once the stone made contact. Startled, the merchant gaped as the pieces of porcelain flew everywhere.

"What!?" His yell caused some people to stop in their strolls. Basil burst out laughing as the merchant opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

"Oh, James, you should see this! C'mon, hand me another stone." A devious smile formed on Basil's lips as James complied with a small smile. Soon, another beautiful vase met its demise. The merchant was looking around, looking caught between anger and confusion. Basil chuckled as he held his hand out for more stones.

This went on for some time; James would hand Basil stones, and multiple vases and antiques would meet their doom. All the while, the poor merchant was waving his hands in the air, shouting, and looking around for the unknown culprit. Passersby stopped to see what causing such a commotion. Some were chuckling at the merchant's comedic suspense while others were more puzzled than amused. Basil stooped back behind the cart; hand on his mouth to muffle his laughter. Smiling, James stared at the growing crowd now surrounding the merchant, in awe at the scene they had created.

"Want a turn?" Smirking, Basil held out his slingshot and a stone for James.

Now an excited participant in the prank, James pulled back the slingshot. However, a lady, who was watching the whole spectacle from afar, spotted James' lanky figure leaning out from the flower cart.

"It's those two!" the lady shrieked, pointing at the young rat. Surprised, James jerked as he let go of the sling shot. The stone launched through the air like a bullet.

Straight into the merchant's neck.

"Ouch!" Turning to see what hit him, the merchant made eye contact with a horrified James.

"Hey, you!" The merchant started making his way towards the flower cart.

"Uh oh." Seizing his friend by the shirt, Basil took off in a run with a stunned James in tow.

"Someone stop those ruffians!" The two males faintly heard someone yell as they focused on outrunning the merchant behind them.

"Basil, I'm going to kill you!" James shouted, dodging other people on the street as they ran.

Basil gulped as he glanced over his shoulder. "Get in line," he shot back, picking up speed. The fat merchant wasn't as fast as they were, but he was persistent. The chase went on as they all tried to avoid running into people, carts, and wagons.

"I'm going to skin your hides!" the merchant threatened, clumsily trying to go faster. Grabbing a handfuls of apples as they passed a fruit stand, Basil blindly threw the food behind him, hoping to slow down their pursuer.

"What is with this guy?" Basil huffed, throwing an apple that hit the older mouse in the stomach. Which only caused the merchant to increase speed and shout more threats.

Ignoring his friend, James spotted a large trashcan in front of them. _Maybe this will slow him down_, James hoped. Shoving a hand out, James yanked the trashcan behind. The trashcan smashed into the merchant, successfully making him fall.

"Good job, James!" Basil laughed, pleased by the sight of their chaser being taken down by a trashcan.

"Shut up and run!" James snapped, throwing Basil a glare. They didn't get a chance to as they ran right into two police officers.

"Got you two," the one holding Basil snarled. Basil scowled and tried to pull out of the policeman's iron grip, only earning a rough yank. The four heard the merchant laugh from his spot on the ground.

"Good job officers! Looks like ya caught two rats!"

James's expression darkened.

* * *

"I have never in my life been more humiliated!" Ms. Mary sobbed into her wrinkled hands.

Pausing in scrubbing the floors, James and Basil shared an uncomfortable look. Ms. Mary nearly died when she opened the door to them being restrained by policemen. After carefully explaining the situation to the hysterical, old mouse, the police informed her that charges would be dropped if the damages to the merchandise were off paid. When the police had left, Ms. Mary gave the boys a lecture that nearly made their ears bleed, and sentenced them to doing all the chores until she could calm down and think of more punishments.

"What will the neighbors say? 'Oh, that Mary is raising criminals not children!'" Ms. Mary fretted, her voice growing shriller with each word. Basil glanced at the quiet rat. This whole time James had been silent with an undeterminable expression, not even flinching once when Ms. Mary slapped them both during her lecture. Hopefully his friend wasn't too upset. The reason for that prank was to make him feel better. In Basil's eyes, that merchant deserved being knocked down a size or two.

"I want this floor to be scrubbed clean! I want to see my reflection. And when you're finished, I want you to scrub it again!" the orphanage owner ordered them, angry tears streaming down her cheeks. "Your demon hands deserve to be blistered and bleeding!"

"I think you're just looking for an excuse to have free maid service," Basil muttered, sarcastically. He was rewarded with a slap to the back of his head.

"You think this is a joke?!" Ms. Mary's gray fur was puffed out in anger. "You're both nearly sixteen, grow up!"

Rubbing the spot she hit, the light brown teenager smiled cheekily. "Well, I thought it was funny."

"AHH!" Ms. Mary screamed in frustration. "You two are so ungrateful! I put up with a lot from you, but this is the end of the line! I am not paying off those damages! You both deserve to be in a juvenile center!"

For the first since arriving back at the orphanage, James stopped washing the floors and spoke, "But, but - you can't! It's not right! It's not like we killed somebody!"

The elderly mouse fixated him with a glare that could scorch his fur. "Oh, but you're going to kill _me_ with all these rumors you two are starting up! I provided you two scoundrels with a home, food, and clothes and this is how you repay me!" Taking a step towards the smoky gray rat, Ms. Mary pointed a crooked finger at him. "And you're just a reminder that I should've trusted my better judgment. I should've known better than to take in a rat!"

James stiffened, mouth forming a grim line. Basil quickly intervened, "Ms. Mary, please reconsider. If the payment isn't met then even more rumors will get started if we're sent away." He flashed her a smooth smile.

The smile fell when Ms. Mary gave him a devious grin, showing off her cracked, yellow teeth. "Those payments will be paid. Not by me but by you two."

Basil's jaw dropped, "Only one problem . . . we don't have any money."

Ms. Mary simply shrugged. "Not my problem," she giggled. With that, she turned and left the room, but not before stopping at the table by the door.

"Oh, and Basil." Said mouse turned and scowled at her. The old mouse picked up the sling shot that the police had left on the table. "I'm going to keep this."

As soon as she was out of the room, James growled darkly under his breath, "That witch is going to pay."

Basil was silent for a few moments before he pouted. "She took my slingshot."

* * *

**Short? Yeah, I know, but things will pick up soon I promise! I hope y'all like it and review please! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the crazy long wait! Life has been hectic since school has started back! But things will pick up now!**

**Don't own anything!**

**~Revised: 3/26/16~**

* * *

James Padriac never liked London.

It was a filthy city filled with filthy people.

_Well, I guess that explains why I'm stuck here,_ James mused sullenly, looking at his soot stained clothes. After two days of nonstop cleaning, Ms. Mary took an orphaned chimney sweeper, named Bill's, sweep and told James to go clean the chimney. It was miserable work. He inhaled so much soot, people would thought have thought he was the smokestack. Though, imagining that he was shoving Ms. Mary down the fireplace did make him feel better as he worked.

But not that much.

Tossing aside the sweep, James sat down on the roof. With his nose wrinkled in disgust, James tried to wipe off some of the soot his raggedy shirt though it was pretty futile. Sighing in defeat, James leaned back against the chimney. His taskmaster forced him to get up before dawn so she could have a clean chimney to stoke a fire before breakfast. James had been on the roof for hours, proving to be true as the sun started rising. The smoky gray rat stared in slight amazement as vivid colors of bright pink, baby blue, and lavender painted the sky.

_How could something so amazing be in a place like this?_ James wondered, running his fingers through his dirty, black hair. He winced as a jolt of pain flashed through his cramping hand.

"I've cleaned enough," he grumbled, placing his hands behind his head, "How would she know if the chimney was clean or not?"

James frowned at his unusual spark of rebellion. Sure, the pranks he and Basil did were also rebellious. _But they were all Basil's ideas! _James reasoned_, I just went along with it._

Basil was a troublemaker with little thought regarding the consequences of his actions. _But I can't risk losing our friendship_, James sighed inwardly, gazing at the work of art above him, _he's my only friend._

Besides, James would never admit it, but he liked feeling included in something by Basil, even if it usually got him in trouble.

"But this time, it's not like putting itching powder in Ms. Mary's bloomers," James muttered, "We could be put in jail this time."

James scoffed. Between the sweep in his hand and the wasted morning, how was he supposed to find a job if he was stuck cleaning the stupid orphanage all day? James was getting a sneaking suspicion that was what Ms. Mary wanted.

"The windbag is finally getting her revenge," James scoffed. _Oh well, it doesn't matter. All that matters now is getting some sleep,_ the young rat smiled, closing his eyes.

"Rat boy, where are you?"

_Of course,_ James growled to himself. Opening his eyes, James felt his mood dampen when a young, skinny lizard looking up towards him from the window below.

"Can I help you with something, Bill?" James tried to sound friendly, despite being disturbed from his nap.

Bill pointed a hooked finger accusingly at him. "Where's muh sweep? Ah have to go wo'k soon, rat." James frowned at the term. Standing up, James retrieved the sweep from where he tossed it. Carefully, James made his way down the roof and through the window.

"Here you go," James politely offered back Bill's possession.

Bill scowled as he snatched back his sweep. "Y'all should be ashamed of yo'self for what yo're doin' to poor Ms. M'ry. All those rumors tha' be startin' up 'bout her. Poor Ms. M'ary."

"We didn't mean for anything to happen!"

"A coward's excuse!" Bill spat, "You don' care for no one but yo'self! You make meh sick, you wo'thless piece o' trash!"

"You don't know what you're talking about," James muttered darkly, unable to meet Bill's malevolent glare. The rodent clasped his hands behind him, apprehensive of what Bill would say next. Suddenly, James was momentarily blinded as a hard object ground into his cheek. Pain pulsed throughout his face as the rat collapsed onto his back.

"Don't you dare ta'k to meh like that ev'r, you stinkin' criminal." Bill stood over him, fist clenched as if the reptile was choking a helpless person, "Get out of this room. Ya dirtin' up with your filthy soot."

His cheek resting against the dirty floor, James didn't move. Only when he heard Bill's haughty footsteps did he pick up his head.

Sunlight streamed through the window onto James. The sun was raised in the sky, burning like a great bonfire, but James only felt cold.

* * *

Basil had to hide his smirk behind his card as he stared at the other opponents with intense, onyx eyes.

_None of them can cheat right, _the young, sandy mouse snickered to himself. He could easily see the extra card the turtle in front of him hid in his sleeve. The other mouse, a kid from across town named Georgie, was oblivious to the skinny rabbit beside him obviously sneaking a peek at his cards. Basil knew the rabbit because she was a waitress at a local pub Ms. Mary enjoyed going to, and Georgie because he and Basil used to play ball together when they were younger. However, Basil only saw the turtle when they came to play cards at the docks every Thursday.

"Has anyone seen Eddy?" Georgie muttered, still looking confusedly at his cards.

"I don't know but he said he'd be here," the rabbit, Annie, said tossing the butt of her cigarette into the water below the dock.

The turtle named Snake, which Basil suspected was an utter lie, just shrugged. "Who cares, one less loser to beat," he chuckled.

"Whatev'r!" Annie snorted, indignantly, "Are you actually gonna bet anything or you just gonna sit there like a stupid ole rock?"

Snake pulled out a pack of cigarettes and matches from his jacket, took one of each, and tossed the cigarettes and matches onto the prize pile. Basil raised an eyebrow at their interesting rewards: useless knickknacks, small old articles of clothing like scarves or gloves, and dull knives.

Snake, quickly lighting the cigarette, squinted disbelievingly at his cards. "Man, Basil, ya shuffled these cards pretty awful. My deck sucks."

A lie, Basil knew straightaway, catching the slight upwards twitch of the turtle's lips. _With all his attempts at cheating, Snake must have a decent pair at_ least, the young mouse decided.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" Basil taunted, allowing his smirk to grow wider, "Moment of truth, everyone."

Georgie threw down his cards, revealing an awful hand as Basil suspected. Annie's was all right, but it would have been better if she cheated off someone who actually knew how to play cards. Snake was taking his precious time in laying down his cards. He adjusted his raggedy hat, took his cigarette out of his mouth to blow a few puffs of smoke, and gave everyone a knowing smirk. Finally, when he laid down his cards, Basil barely had to glance at them.

"That_ is_ an awful hand," Basil noted, "almost awful enough to win the game."

Snake's arrogant expression fell as Basil gave him a prideful grin. Before he could lay his cards down though, a rather battered, tired looking mouse stumbled onto the docks, interrupting the game.

"Eddy?" Georgie gasped, running up to assist his friend. Eddy's brown furred face was swollen as if he had been hit with a hammer.

"Ugh, I just had the worst night of my life," Eddy moaned, wincing as Georgie helped him sit down.

"What happened to you?" Annie frowned, not really looking like she cared about his answer.

Eddy groaned, "A couple of my friends thought it'd be a good idea. We were a little low on cash last night and we wanted a couple drinks. So we ran to the bar, and there were some guys there who were talking about a way to get some big bucks."

Basil, laying his cards face down, looked up, now interested in Eddy's story. "Yeah?"

Eddy nodded but grimaced at the movement. "Yeah, so my friends and I start up a conversation so we can know more, ya know? Turns out there was a fighting tournament that night! Ya just go bet on whoever's fighting, if they win ya got pockets full of money!"

Snake began to laugh uproariously. "Don't tell me, you went there! That place seems a little too gritty for you, city boy."

Eddy pouted. "Shut up. I entered-"

He was cut off again by Snake's laughter. Basil punched him in the shoulder. "Shut your trap, I wanna hear Eddy's story."

"Anyway, I entered and got my tail completely whipped," Eddy whined. Snake rolled his eyes.

"Of course you did. Those animals spend their whole lives fighting," the turtle stated, dryly, "and they probably didn't take too kindly to some pampered brat barging into their turf just so he can get a drink."

Eddy scowled like a little child, "I ain't that pampered."

The beaten mouse began ranting on how he was just as poor as all of them, but Basil was hardly listening to Eddy anymore. "Have you ever been to those kind of fights, Snake? You talk as if you know a little bit about it."

Snake kicked a pebble into the water below them and shrugged, "Yeah, I go to those fights often with a couple of friends of mine."

Annie sent him an admiring smile. "Have you ever competed in those fights, Snake?"

Snake paused at this, "Nah. I go to them, but I ain't interested in getting beat up by the gangsters there, but anyone can fight, I guess."

Eddy hid his face in his hands. "I thought it was a good idea at first, but it ain't. Those people are heathens!"

Everyone else rolled their eyes at his dramatics. Basil let out a little laugh as he stood up.

"Well, my fellow card players, it was an enjoyable morning but I'm afraid I must go meet my friend." He gave them all a joking bow. Before he left, Basil stooped down and gathered everything from the reward pile.

"I believe this is mine." Then he was gone. The rest of the players just sat for a moment in silence. Finally Snake leaned over and flipped Basil's forgotten cards over.

"A winning hand," he muttered, sourly.

"How come he always wins?" Annie complained. Snake's eyes drifted to where Basil had sat, a frown etched on his lips.

* * *

"Well since you're just _so_ efficient, maybe you can finish other work in just as much time," Ms. Mary demanded. James was knocked back a little as she thrust a large box into his hands.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, mood sour. After his confrontation with Bill, Ms. Mary showed up right after to drag James away for more work. She wasn't too pleased to see him lying on the ground, and wouldn't listen to his reason.

"Listen closely, I want you unpack this box, and place its contents in this cupboard." Ms. Mary pointed to the dark wooden cupboard with a locked door that was placed in the kitchen. That cupboard was Ms. Mary's favorite furniture in the whole house. It contained valuable items to her, but none of the orphans knew what exactly those items were.

"Uh, really?" James asked, uncharacteristically surprised.

Ms. Mary rolled her eyes. She ripped off the sealing tape and dug her hands into the box, sending foam peanuts everywhere. James could see her hands were shaking as she held a gleaming, porcelain vase as if she were holding a newborn baby.

"Wow," the gray rat breathed, impressed as he eyed the skillfully painted lines of vibrant color.

"Yes, it is wow, and very _expensive_," Ms. Mary snapped, clutching the masterfully crafted item away from him. She then pointed to the box again, sternly. James peeped over the cardboard and saw more pieces of porcelain shining back at him.

"I want you to take this collection and put it up in my cupboard," Ms. Mary ordered, placing the vase back into the case. "I will unlock the cupboard for you. Now, I know exactly what is in there. I _will_ notice if something is missing._"_

After setting the box down, James grabbed a large, shiny pink tea kettle, his reflection staring back at him.

"Don't just grab it like a sack of potatoes, child!" Ms. Mary barked, giving James a quick thump to his ear.

_How am I supposed to hold it? It's **just** a kettle!_ James thought, confused.

The old mouse pulled a set of keys from her apron pocket. Ms. Mary hesitated befor putting the key in the lock. "You best be careful, you hooligan," she warned, sending a threatening look over her shoulder to James.

Ms. Mary turned and opened the wooden door, "I've been waiting months for this package to arrive so I want you to act as if your life is on the line. It just might be."

James glanced from the box to the old mouse's back. "Why are you trusting me with this then?"

Ms. Mary shot him a withering glance. "Testing to see if you are trustworthy. Don't mess it up, rat."

The ash colored male cautiously positioned the beautiful kettle in the cupboard, hands trembling. He hadn't held anything so expensive in his entire life. Ms. Mary's cold, dark eyes were examining his every moment so closely he began to feel sweat forming on his brow. James didn't know how long the tense silence went on, but he said a prayer of relief when he heard Ms. Mary's hesitant footsteps drift away.

Now happily alone, James set to accomplish his work. He didn't get far by the time the door swung open.

"James, I had the best idea ever!" Basil yelled, dashing into the kitchen. Startled, James dived to the ground before the teacup he dropped could smash into pieces.

"Yell louder, I don't the other side of London heard you," James growled, heart slowing down while he made sure the teacup wasn't damaged. Basil heartily slapped James on the back, almost making the rat drop the cup again.

"Oh, you'll lighten up when you hear what I came up with!" Basil laughed. "We'll be paying off the de- uh, what are you doing?"

"Climbing Big Ben," James snapped as he continued to arrange Ms. Mary's valuables in the cupboard.

Basil glanced from the half filled box and back to James. "Well, you're being rather slow at it."

The rat stopped his actions to punch Basil's in the shoulder.

"Ms. Mary apparently thought I was slacking off during the chimney cleaning this morning. Thanks for avoiding that by the way," James muttered sourly, "so she's forcing me to do her stupid little chores or else no supper tonight."

Basil remained silent, staring at the beautifully crafted dishes. He picked up a dish from the box and began inspecting it.

"Whew, this sure is fancy," Basil mused.

James shrugged. "Yeah, you know how Ms. Mary spends more time and money on decorating the house than she does taking care of us."

Basil just hummed his agreement.

"So what's got you running around like all of London is on fire?" James asked. Silent, Basil felt a slow smirk creep onto his face.

"I'll tell you later, James my friend," Basil chuckled as he tossed the plate playfully between his hands.

"First, we're gonna need a bit of money."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! I apologize greatly for not updating. I will not abandon this story! My computer had broken, and it took me forever to buy a new one. Unfortunately all my files with future chapters were lost so I have rewrite them all. I will update as quickly as I can, but I also want to look over the chapters I have now and correct any mistakes. I also might change the title of the story. Once I update with a chapter I will delete this author's note.**

** So please hang with me everyone! I apologize again for making you all wait. I'm so sorry!**

**Love,**

**Glittersweg**


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